WestJet could face costly delivery delays due to a panel explosion on a Boeing jet

The fallout from last month's flight deck explosion on Boeing's 737 Max has reached Canada as WestJet faces unspecified delays in deliveries of dozens of planes.

The Calgary-based carrier has purchased 42 Boeing 737 Max 10 jetliners for 2022, with options for 22 more — on top of nearly two dozen Max orders already.

The multibillion-dollar deal would add at least 65 planes to WestJet's fleet by 2029, including 50 Max 10s, which the airline called a “game changer” that would lower fuel costs and “enable” its growth.

However, the Max 10 has yet to receive final certification, and after the panel incident, regulators said they would halt any production expansion at Boeing until a full investigation is completed — a process that could take more than a year.

On January 5, the US Federal Aviation Administration temporarily grounded the 737 Max 9 and launched a probe after a panel known as a door jamb ripped from the fuselage of an Alaska Airlines flight 16,000 feet above the ground, leaving a hole the size of a refrigerator. calls for a wall and an emergency landing.

WestJet continues to work closely with Boeing on delivery timelines and believes there is some flexibility in its fleet growth plans.